HBCU Transactions

Lincoln (Mo) Selects Former Albany State Assistant as Head Football Coach

Published: December 7, 2016

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Steven A. Smith, an 18-year veteran with experience in both the college and professional levels, has been named the next head coach of the Lincoln University of Missouri football team. Smith's was introduced at a press conference on Tuesday morning (Dec. 6).

Smith succeeds Mike Jones, who was fired in September. Lincoln assistant coach Lee Johnson had served as interim head coach prior to Smith's hiring.

The Blue Tigers were 1-10 in 2016.Smith

Smith joins the Blue Tigers after a successful four-year stint as the offensive coordinator at Albany State University. Under Smith's direction, the Golden Rams have gone undefeated in league play in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in three of the past four seasons and have consistently fielded one of the conference's top offenses.

Smith, who has four NCAA Division II playoff appearances on his coaching resume, has spent nine total years as a college assistant with stops at Tennessee State, Delta State and Virginia State. In seven of those nine seasons, his teams played for a conference championship, winning four. During his time at the college level, Smith has coached 21 all-conference players, eight All-Americans, four conference players of the year and a candidate for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which is awarded to NCAA Division II's most outstanding football player. Additionally, Smith has coached five players who have gone on to play in the National Football League, including two who were draft picks.

Besides having tremendous success at the college level, Smith has also spent eight years in the professional ranks, including serving as an assistant under Romeo Crennel with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012. Smith most recently was an assistant offensive line coach with the Green Bay Packers during their 2014 offseason training activities, and he has also coached with the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. In 2005, Smith served as the running backs coach of the Frankfurt Galaxy in NFL Europe, and in 2006, Smith was the offensive line coach of the Rhein Fire. Eight of the 10 offensive linemen he coached in 2006 ended up being signed to NFL squads, making Smith the only position coach during the history of NFL Europe to have that many players signed in a single year.

Smith also worked in the Arena Football League as the Detroit Fury's offensive and defensive line coach in 2003-04 and started his coaching career at Southside Prep High School in Chicago. Smith was a college fullback for both Langston (1994) and Southern Illinois (1995-98) and graduated from SIU with a bachelor of science in pre-med. Smith also studied medicine at Northern Illinois before transitioning into coaching full time.